Devine Ancient Grains 5-Grain Whisky (45%)

(This is another in a series of occasional reviews of notable whiskies from British Columbia, presented as a lead-up to my story about BC single malt whisky for the winter issue of Full Pour magazine. Subscribe now.)

Vancouver Island’s Devine Distillery is a spirits business born of a wine business. It all began in 2006 with the twenty-five-ish acres brought by John and Catherine Windsor, which because it was part of Vancouver Island’s Agricultural Land Reserve, came with a tax incentive to grow something. That something was wine grapes.

Eight years later, the Windsor family, now including daughter Kirsten and son-in-law Kevin Titcomb, recognized that Vancouver Island wine would forever be the “ugly stepchild” of Okanagan wines, and turned their attention instead to spirits.

One of the distillery’s early flagship products is a young, not-quite-whisky called Ancient Grains, which I described in Canadian Spirits as having “complexity far beyond its age.” It’s ‘older brother’ is Ancient Grains 5-Grain, distilled from barley, spelt, emmer, khorasan, and einkorn and aged in new American oak for at least three years.

Rich gold in colour, this has an aroma that speaks very much to all of its component grains, with ample cereal notes appearing alongside, and in harmony with, perfumey vanilla, hints of charred oak, and just a suggestion of Christmas cake. The palate entry is off-dry and fairly spicy, black pepper mixed with honey and peach, but settles quickly down to a more round and raisiny mid-palate, with accents of baking spice and a touch of toasted almond and marmalade. The spice returns more to its peppery nature on the lingering, oaky finish.

While this is a fine sipping whisky all on its own, blessed with the sort of spicy dryness on the finish that makes it wonderfully appetizing, I can easily see it also performing admirably in cocktails, including a unique take on the Manhattan.

83 ($80)